President Obama facing reporters, for his first major press conference since April. He did it just before leaving for a week-long vacation in Martha's Vineyard. Some of the toughest questions were about his relationship with Russian President Putin, Edward Snowden, and the NSA programs he exposed. Wolf discussed all of it with senior political analyst David Gergen, chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin and chief Congressional correspondent Dana Bash.

President Barack Obama and congressional leaders will discuss the looming fiscal cliff impasse Friday at the White House, aiming for a last-minute deal to stave off automatic tax increases and spending cuts.

The 3 p.m. meeting - which will include Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, House Speaker John Boeher, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell - will come days before the deadline to reach a deal, and after another day of Republicans and Democrats blaming each other for the stalemate.

The recording of the meeting is at the center of a new controversy for Republican Senate nominee in Nevada who is in a heated contest with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Ashjian is a third party candidate trailing in the polls.

"I thought it was a set-up, so naturally I recorded it," Ashjian tells CNN adding "I recorded it because I realized every time I've had a meeting the truth gets distorted and the facts don't come out. It was never my intention to release the tape. I didn't do it till three days later when my friends said have you heard reports saying you're an egotistical whack job? So I said no problem here's the truth knock yourself out."

He gave the tape to his campaign manager to turn over to Jon Ralston, Las Vegas Sun political reporter and dean of the Nevada political press corps. The subsequent coverage highlighted Angle's pressuring of Ashjian to drop out of the race.Full story on the CNN Political Ticker

Phoenix (CNN) – On primary day in Arizona, Republican Senator John McCain seemed a man of few words considering his front runner status. Joined by his wife, Cindy, who was wearing a leopard print suit, McCain voted at Phoenix's Madison Camelview Elementary School shortly after 9 a.m. MST. He chatted briefly with school kids and their parents then gave 21 seconds of remarks to the gathered press before refusing to take questions.

The candidate, seeking a 5th term as a U.S. Senator from Arizona, told gathered media: "We're looking forward to a good turnout today and there's already been a lot of early voting. We're confident we're going to win but obviously it isn't over till it's over."

McCain joked about the weather, and promised to "take nothing for granted." As he started to walk away, CNN asked him to respond to his opponent's charge that he'll move to the left if re-elected. The candidate smiled and kept on walking.

CNN National Political Correspondent Jessica Yellin is being honored Tuesday night for her distinctive reporting as a recipient of a prestigious Gracie Award for Outstanding Hard News Feature.

Yellin is being recognized for a series of stories she reported last year on "Political Women" looking closely at the role of women in politics and examining whether they are treated differently on the national scene versus men. Among the topics she examined: Whether there was a different standard being applied to former Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, the decision by Caroline Kennedy to pull out of consideration for an appointment to the U.S. Senate and the proportion of female cabinet appointees by the incoming Obama White House.

Among the others being recognized at the event in Beverly Hills, California are HLN's Robin Meade, NBC Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell, and ABC's Barbara Walters, as well as actresses Glenn Close, Drew Barrymore and Sharon Gless.

The Alliance of Women in Media sponsors the annual Gracie Awards, which recognize what it calls exemplary programming created for, by and about women in all aspects of the media, television, and radio, and ranging from news to drama to comedy to public service and documentaries and sports.